Hatch Statement in Advance of Four-Year Anniversary of ObamaCare

Utah Senator Says, “Four years later and hard-working families are getting hit with higher premiums and fewer choices. Seniors enrolled in Medicare are now at risk of losing their plans, benefits, and doctors. And, American job creators are being forced to navigate an endless web of bureaucratic red tape that leaves them with less certainty and more confusion.”

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement today in advance of Sunday’s four-year anniversary of the president’s signature domestic policy achievement, ObamaCare, being signed into law:

“Contrary to the wishful thinking of Washington Democrats, the American people can’t be fooled. Four years later and hard-working families are getting hit with higher premiums and fewer choices. Seniors enrolled in Medicare are now at risk of losing their plans, benefits, and doctors. And, American job creators are being forced to navigate an endless web of bureaucratic red tape that leaves them with less certainty and more confusion. No matter how you spin this, it’s four years later and Americans are reminded of the failures of a misguided health law and of countless broken promises coming out of this White House.”

Since the Obama Administration has begun implementing the law, several nonpartisan experts have warned of the adverse economic impact the health care law will have on American individuals, families and job creators:

JOB LOSS: The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that the President’s health care law would eliminate 2.3 million American jobs in 2021.

PREMIUM SPIKES: The Office of the Chief Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) found that two-thirds of Americans that work at small businesses, roughly 11 million workers, will see their premiums rise under ObamaCare.

LOSS OF COVERAGE: Last month, CBO reported that 7 million employees will actually lose their employer-sponsored coverage under ObamaCare.

Additional Background: A staunch opponent of the President’s health law, Hatch has introduced legislation that would repeal the two central pillars of the Affordable Care Act, the employer and individual mandates, and has bipartisan legislation repealing the medical device tax that partially funds the law. Hatch has also championed legislation to repeal the tax on job creators and their employees. Most recently, Hatch introduced the Trust But Verify Act, to delay the launch of the exchanges, where people will buy their Washington-mandated insurance, until the Government Accountability Office (GAO) can certify that the Data Hubs, the online market place to buy insurance are secure.